Love Grew in Pacific Northwest
by kellyelin
Summary: Candy and Neal in Seattle


After Albert's wedding, Candy decided to move to Seattle*. It broke her heart to see Albert with someone else. She was still working as a nurse.

One day during her late weekend shift, her boss called her. He ordered her to hurriedly go to the emergency room. An important person just had an accident and needed an emergency treatment. Hurriedly she went to the emergency room to help the patient. To her surprise, she found the patient to be Neal Regan.

He looked at her with eyes wide open, silently.

Candy did her duty and did all she had to do as a nurse to help him. He had a broken leg and fractured ribs. A doctor came to examine. There were so many people around all seemed to regard him very respectfully and utmost care. After a while she heard the doctor spoke suggested him to stay in the hospital for the night. And again there's busy buzz of people trying to accommodate his needs. After all the staffs left, there remained the doctor, him and Candy. The doctor instructed her to attend him for the night and left.

The two left alone stared at one another.

"Candy, how are you doing?" he started the conversation.

Candy couldn't believe it. After all the trouble she made to run away from the past, here she was meeting face to face with her old foe. The last time they met was on Albert's wedding party years ago. At that time, she was in a relationship with another man.

So both shared their stories. Neal was now a business executive and coming to Seattle temporarily for his interest in the aviation industry. He's a prominent business man of his own right. He got an accident while trying some experimental project.

"I should just let the engineers do the job," he said laughing. "I am not Stear." Candy laughed too.

Secretly, he requested the hospital for a personal nurse to help him at home while he's recovering. He requested the person to be Candy. So the arrangement was made. Her boss asked her to accompany him back to his home the following day.

So everyday Candy acted as Neal's personal nurse. Seattle is a beautiful place with luscious natural green, waterfront, mountains with eternal snow among other beauty. The scenery is exquisite. So, in the morning they took a walk together, or rather, he sat in the wheel chair and she pushed him. Then he went to work and in the evening again they took a walk together again. After a few days, he asked if she had things to do in the weekend which she didn't have. So he asked her to stay too in the weekend and they went to visit various other natural beauty surrounding the area. Sometimes he's in the wheel chair and, gradually, with crutches. Seeing her again made him very happy and didn't want to lose her again. He tried all he could to give the best possible manner so she didn't run away again. He still loved her, more than before. The touch of her soft hand and fingers gave deep burning sensation every time she helped him to dress which made him almost lost control. But he tried not to rush, to prevent her from leaving him again. Besides, he couldn't move much with the broken bones he's having.

Gradually Candy started to enjoy his company too. Unlike in the past, he now was more mature and gentler. He's still teasing her, but in a nice way not in a hostile way like before. And my, he's yummy! She loved to feel his masculine body as she helped him dressing up. He's gorgeous just like the rest of the Ardlay boys. She started to have loyal friends in Seattle, but to have him around really made more spark in her life.

Sometimes Candy accompanied Neal to the office, too. It annoyed her to see all these young female staffs trying to be overly helpful to him. Once she couldn't contain herself and said, "He has me as his assistant. I'll do that for him, we don't need additional help."

They were silent instantly and looked at Candy with eyes and mouths wide open. Neal stared at her with beaming eyes but said nothing. Seeing their reactions made her wonder what made her being that aggravated. After being a while with him, there's this new feeling started to tickle within her.

In one of their conversations, Neal learned that she broke up with her past boy friend and had lived in Seattle for almost one year. He couldn't help to overjoy silently.

"What about you? How many kids do you have?" Candy asked curiously in return.

"Kids?" asked Neal in surprise. "I am not even married," he said with a laugh.

"You are a business executive and you're not even married? I saw how those girls flocking over you. Your mom also introduced you to many girls, didn't she?"

"True, but I am not married. I have dates every now and then, but nothing serious that develops to marriage yet."

Of course his mom introduced him to plenty of girls. But, in his heart there's only Candy, that's why he never actually had a serious relationship with anyone. He never stopped hoping to meet her again one day to ask her to marry him. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her. To finally meet her in Seattle was an against all odds, a blessing that he planned to keep. In all girls he met, it's her that he pictured in mind. Now that he found her, he determined not to lose her ever again.

One day they took a walk again outside Leavenworth, a German town around that area. They heard some music playing.

Candy said, "After you get well, we can join and dance with them."

Neal answered, "Then, let's do it now." He grinned.

To her surprise he could already stand up and walk. She's happy to see him well, but felt cheated too. With an angry face, she walked away from him. He chased her and knelt down in front of her.

"I meant to tell you today. I didn't mean to cheat on you." Neal tried to explain with a pity face. " I didn't tell you earlier because I was afraid that you'd leave me again." Still knelt down, he hugged her waist. "Candy, I love you. After all these years, I still can't forget you. Please never leave me. Please be my wife." He took a box of ring from his pocket.

Now that both grew up and were much more mature, Candy too started to see many good sides of him. These past few weeks, she's been happy to be with him. She couldn't imagine life without him.

With tears in her eyes, Candy said, "I love you, too." She accepted his proposal.

Neal kissed her, touched her, caressed her,... ready to release years of passions that's been building up within him. Finally, it's Candy that he had in his arms.

They lived happily ever after.

-THE END-

_**NOTE:**_

Seattle is located in Washington state (USA). That area is also known as Pacific Northwest. Home of Boeing, that famous aerospace company.


End file.
